A Little Something for Me

I feel like I have a million different projects going on at once right now (those sweatpants…) but I did manage to finish one small project last week – a beanie for yours truly to wear in Paris!

I used leftover yarn from Brianna’s niece’s sweater (and there is still more left over). It came out just as I was imagining it, slightly slouchy, totally cozy. I was having trouble deciding if I should put a pom-pom on it, but Anna advised against it and I think I agree with her in the end.

Now I’m working on a last-minute pair of fingerless gloves to send to Sabeena as a holiday gift, and hoping desperately that I can finish before we leave for France on Friday. Eek! Who else is doing some very last-minute holiday knitting?

For anyone who is interested, here is the pattern I created for this hat. It fits my average-sized lady head just right. If you want, you can also download a PDF of the pattern from Ravelry.

C3B – cable 3 stitches behind, putting the following 3 stitches in front for a right-leaning cable of 6 total stitches

C2B – same as above but with 2 stitches, for a cable of 4 total stitches.

SL – slip stitch purlwise with yarn in back

P2tog – purl 2 stitches together

SSK – slip, slip, knit (decrease)

K2tog – knit 2 stitches together

SSK1 PSSO – slip 2 stitches purlwise, knit the following stitch, then pass the 2 slipped stitches over the knit stich and off the needle for a double decrease.

Hat Brim:

CO 84 stitches on smaller needles and join to work in the round. If working on a small circular needle, use a stitch marker to mark the end of the round.

*K1, P1, repeat from * until end of round.

Repeat step 2 until work measures about 3 cm from cast on edge. If you want to be able to fold up the brim of your beanie, double or triple the length of the ribbed brim.

Hat Body:

Switch to larger needles.

*K14, M1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 90 stitches total.

*SL1, P4, K6, P4, repeat from * until end of round.

*K1, P4, K6, P4, repeat from * until end of round.

Repeat steps 3 & 4 two times for a total of four rounds.

On the fifth round, repeat step 3.

On the sixth round work a cabling round: *K1, P4, C3B, P4, repeat from * until end of round.

Repeat steps 3 & 4 five times for a total of ten rounds.

On the eleventh round, repeat step 3.

On the twelfth round, repeat step 7.

Repeat steps 8-10 once more. You should now have a total of three cable crossovers in your beanie.

Hat Crown:

Repeat steps 3 & 4 twice for a total of four rounds.

On the fifth round, repeat step 3.

On the sixth round, begin crown decreases: *K1, P1, P2tog, P1, K6, P1, P2tog, P1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 78 stitches total.

On the seventh round: *SL1, P3, K6, P3, repeat from * until end of round.

On the eighth round decrease: *K1, P1, P2tog, K6, P2tog, P1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 66 stitches total.

On the ninth round: *SL1, P2, K6, P2, repeat from * until end of round.

On the tenth round, decrease: *K1, P2tog, K6, P2tog, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 54 stitches total.

On the eleventh round, decrease: *SL1, P1, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, P1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 42 stitches total.

On the twelfth round, cable: *K1, P1, C2B, P1, repeat from * until end of round.

On the thirteenth round, work: *SL1, P1, K4, P1, repeat from * until end of round.

On the fourteenth round, decrease: *K1, P1, K1, K2tog, K1, P1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 30 stitches total.

On the fifteenth round, work: *SL1, P1, K3, P1, repeat from * until end of round.

On the sixteenth round, decrease: *K1, P1, SSK1 PSSO, P1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 18 stitches total.

On the seventeenth round, work: *SL1, P1, K1, P1, repeat from * until end of round.

On the eighteenth round, decrease: *K1, K2tog, K1, repeat from * until end of round. You should now have 12 stitches total.

On the nineteenth round, knit all stitches.

Cut the yarn leaving a tail about 15 cm long. Thread the tail back through the remaining 12 stitches and pull tight. Using tapestry needle, thread the tail into the inside of the beanie, and tie off tightly.